Elbert v. Elbert

579 N.E.2d 102, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1647, 1991 WL 193704
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 30, 1991
Docket31A04-8910-CV-444
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 579 N.E.2d 102 (Elbert v. Elbert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Elbert v. Elbert, 579 N.E.2d 102, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1647, 1991 WL 193704 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinions

MILLER, Judge.

Mother Middy True appeals the denial of her petition to gain custody of her son, Jason (eight years old at the time of the hearing), from father Stephen Elbert with whom the child had lived for seven years since the divorcee. She claims the trial court abused its discretion when it refused to change custody and improperly relied on religious factors to deny her custody. She also claims the court abused its discretion in ordering her to pay child support and to be responsible for all costs of transportation for her visitations with Jason.

Stephen requests appellate attorney's fees, claiming that Middy is pursuing this appeal for purposes of harassment, and that while this case was pending on appeal-and the trial court was allegedly without jurisdiction to take any action-she obtained an ex-parte order from the trial court relieving her of the responsibility and expenses of transportation for the child.

At the outset, we want to make clear that we are affirming the trial court's decision to deny a change of custody because Middy failed to present evidence there had been a substantial and continuing change in the custodial home which was detrimental to Jason in any way. However, there is merit in Middy's claim that the trial judge overstepped his authority 1) in interrogating Middy and her husband in regard to their church attendance and, 2) in his order, by expressing his religious requirements for a custodial parent. Had Middy presented substantial evidence on her behalf sufficient to permit the judge to exercise his discretion to change custody-which she did not do-we might have been faced with a judgment that was tainted, requiring a new trial. We also find that Stephen waived the issue of appellate attorney's fees-on the basis of harassment-by his failure to supplement the record in accordance with our appellate rules.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

Middy and Stephen Elbert were married on August 21, 1976, and divorced on July 23, 1980. The custody of their one year-old son, Jason, was awarded to Stephen pursu[105]*105ant to a settlement agreement. In May, 1984, Middy filed a petition to modify the decree to obtain custody or expanded visitation rights. Her request for custody was denied, but visitation rights were expanded. In September 1986, she married Vance True, a chiropractor in Danville, Kentucky.

After the divorce, Stephen continued to reside in Corydon, Indiana, where he had lived all of his life. Corydon is approximately 110 miles from Danville: At the time of the hearing, he lived in an older home in Corydon which he had remodeled. The house is four houses away from the home of his parents. Jason has a good relationship and enjoys many activities with Stephen's parents. The Corydon home has an acre of play area including a baseball diamond and a basketball goal and Jason has lots of friends in the neighborhood. Middy has relatives in the area who on occasion pick up Jason for visits.

Since the divorce, Stephen, who had always worked in construction, started his own business and remarried. Jason has a good relationship with Stephen's wife, Rhonda. Rhonda has a daughter (11 years old at time of hearing) from a former marriage and Rhonda and Steven had a baby, Shane (age four at the time of the hearing). Jason shared a bedroom with Shane; however, Stephen planned to build a new house with a separate room for each child.

Middy filed a petition to modify on June 26, 1989, based on a change in "her circumstances" which "would allow her to provide a more stable and secure home for Jason: emotionally, physically, and financially." Appellant's Brief, p. 6. A trial was held on August 24, 1989, on her petition and on Stephen's counter-petition requesting support. The court found there was "no reason to change custody." (R. 41). However, the court modified the support order by requiring Middy to begin paying twenty-five dollars per week support for Jason and modified her visitation rights (because of the distance she lives from Jason) by expanding her visitation periods and requiring her to be responsible for the transportation of Jason for visitations. However, the order included a contingency provision that "if [Middy] shall become pregnant, she is allowed to file an ex-porte motion and obtain an order requiring [Stephen] to be responsible for said transportation if her doctor determines that she cannot drive for long distances1. (R. 42).

I. Did the trial court abuse its discretion in denying custody modification?

Middy recognizes that in an appeal from a refusal to modify custody, this court will only reverse where the trial court's decision is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and cireumstances. The noncustodial parent bears the burden of a "strict showing" that the present custody arrangement is unreasonable. Moutaw v. Moutaw (1981), Ind.App., 420 N.E.2d 1294; IC 31-1-11.5-22(d). On appeal, she claims the court's decision was clearly against the logic of the evidence presented in that:

1) both parents wanted Jason, but that Jason wanted to live with his mother. The court stated that he had talked with Jason and that he wanted to live with his mother.
2) She had not been kept informed of Jason's life and well-being and that she had been deprived of an opportunity to develop a parental relationship with her son.
8) Steven interferes with her relationship with Jason and attempts to discredit her in front of him.
4) She has more time to spend with Jason, has a nice home, and was at the time of the hearing in the process of "building an even nicer one" adjacent to a golf course, with a pool and tennis courts.
5) Her husband is financially secure and she would not ask for any support if she were granted custody.

The trial court is vested with broad discretion in custody determinations. While there may have been changes in Jason's life since the original custody order was entered, these changes do not auto[106]*106matically justify a change in custody. Walker v. Chatfield (1990), Ind.App., 553 N.E.2d 490. At the initial custody determination, the trial court presumes that both parents are equally entitled to custody, but determines which parent would be the better choice. Id. In a subsequent petition to modify custody, the noncustodial parent bears the burden of overcoming the custodial parent's right to continued custody. Id. Continuity in custody is a key element in determining what is in the best interests of a child, Dunlap v. Dunlap (1985), Ind.App., 475 N.E.2d 723, and, only a strict showing that the present arrangement is unreasonable will justify a change in custody because of the potentially disruptive influence upon the child. Walker, supra; Gerber v. Gerber (1985), Ind.App., 476 N.E.2d 531. As an appellate court, we do not weigh evidence nor judge credibility of witnesses, Barnett v. Barnett (1983), Ind.App., 447 N.E.2d 1172, and, in determining whether the trial court abused its discretion, we consider only the evidence which supports the trial court's decision. Smith v. Dawson (1982), Ind.App., 431 N.E.2d 850.

Middy, as the petitioning party, had the burden of proving that material changes of a significant, decisive, and ongoing nature warranted a change of custody. In her petition to modify, she claimed:

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Bluebook (online)
579 N.E.2d 102, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1647, 1991 WL 193704, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/elbert-v-elbert-indctapp-1991.